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Sheriff: Abduction of Michigan teen didn't happen

John Wisely, Detroit Free Press
12:10 a.m. EDT August 11, 2014

The area where Hayley Turner, 18, claims she disappeared after she stopped her car to check on someone who was lying down on the side of the road Bedford, Mich.(Photo: Romain Blanquart, Detroit Free Press)

DETROIT — Thursday's reported abduction of an 18-year-old Monroe County woman, which set off a massive police search, "did not take place, as originally reported," authorities said Sunday.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office has closed the investigation into Hayley Turner's claim that she was abducted by a man with a gun Thursday night in Bedford Township on a return trip home from a video store. She was found safe in Ecorse about 16 hours later.

"Detective Sergeant Jeff Pauli, along with a Special Agent from the FBI, conducted a follow-up interview with the alleged victim," the sheriff's office said in a posting Sunday on its Facebook page. "As a result of that interview, it was determined that the incident did not take place, as originally reported."

The statement added that investigators would move forward their findings to the county prosecutor for review.

"The family requests that everyone respect their privacy during this most difficult time," the statement said.

Christy Turner and Thomas Turner, the parents of Hayley Turner, 18 ask for the safe return of their daughter during a news conference at the Bedford Township government center on Aug. 8, 2014.(Photo: Romain Blanquart, Detroit Free Press)

Police were originally told that Turner was headed to a video story late Thursday and talking to a friend on her cellphone when she described seeing a man lying in a ditch near the road.

"Seconds later, Hayley told her friend, 'He has a gun,' and the phone was disconnected," Monroe County Sheriff Dale Malone said Friday.

Turner was gone when her father arrived at her car, but a man and a woman, who matched Turner's description, were seen about 4 a.m. Friday near Telegraph and Erie roads.

The report prompted a massive search involving local, state and federal agencies, and a helicopter.

She was recovered in Ecorse after reportedly jumping from a slow-moving vehicle Friday afternoon. By Saturday, investigators said she was home and resting comfortably.